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iHrlisstons. 


ZULU  MISSION. 

r 

A  CONDENSED  SKETCH. 


1835-1886. 


BOSTON  : 

IjJrtntrt  Dr  tfjc  'sltnertcan  33oart. 
1 886. 


CElbiopia  shall  soon  strrtclj  out  btr  ^anbs  unto 
(Sob. —  Psalm  lxviii,  31. 


PRESS  OF  STANLEY  AND  USHER, 
BOSTON,  MASS. 


THE  ZULU  MISSION. 


Location.  —  Confined  at  present  to  the  Province 
of  Natal,  Southeastern  Africa,  Area,  18,750  square 
miles.  Coast  line,  150  miles.  Natal  is  separated 
from  Basutoland  and  the  Orange  River  Free  State, 
on  the  west,  by  the  Drackenberg  Mountains,  9,000 
to  10,000  feet  high,  and  from  Zululand  (wild  tribes), 
on  the  north,  by  Tugela  River.  Durban,  the  only 
port,  is  1,000  miles  from  Cape  Town.  Pietermar¬ 
itzburg  is  the  capital.  The  country  is  undulating, 
well  watered  by  streams  from  the  Drackenberg 
Mountains. 

Climate  and  '  Products.  —  The  climate  is  de¬ 
lightful  and  invigorating.  Monthly  mean  tempera¬ 
ture  varies  from  56°  to  82°.  The  coast  region  is 
semi-tropical,  producing  the  sugarcane,  pineapple, 
banana,  and  coffee.  Even  toward  the  interior  the 
orange,  apple,  and  peach  flourish.  Cotton  and  in¬ 
digo  grow  wild.  Wool,  corn,  and  sugar  are  the 
staple  products.  The  elephant,  lion,  tiger,  and 
rhinoceros  have  only  recently  been  driven  from 
Natal,  but  hippopotami,  monkeys,  baboons,  and 
crocodiles  are  to  be  seen,  while  antelopes  of  various 


4 


kinds  abound,  with  many  poisonous  serpents.  In 
1878  the  revenue  of  Natal  amounted  to  $1,846,915  ; 
its  imports  to  $5,837,010  ;  its  exports  to  $3,449,085. 

Population.  —  About  405,000  (English,  Dutch, 
and  Germans,  25,000;  Zulus,  360,000;  Asiatic 
Coolies,  20,000).  The  Zulus  are  a  branch  of  the 
Bantu  or  Kafir  race,  distinct  from  the  Hottentot, 
but  of  kin  to  all  the  other  tribes  south  of  the  Congo. 
They  differ  from  the  negroes  proper,  though  in 
color  and  hair  like  them.  They  are  usually  tall 
and  well  formed,  many  of  them  showing  fine  mus¬ 
cular  development. 

History  of  Natal.  —  Discovered  in  1497  by 
Vasco  da  Gama,  on  Christmas  (Natal)  Day:  hence 
its  name.  In  1823  an  English  lieutenant  landed 
where  Durban  now  is,  and  found  a  few  people,  the 
region  having  been  desolated  by  Chaka,  the  great 
Zulu  warrior,  who  had  turned  all  his  subjects  into 
soldiers,  and  conquered  the  country  from  the  Ama- 
pondo  country  to  the  Limpopo.  Some  of  Chaka’s 
generals  carried  his  method  of  warfare  to  the  Zam¬ 
besi  and  northward.  In  1828  Chaka  was  assassina¬ 
ted  and  succeeded  by  his  brother  Dingaan,  also  a 
fierce  warrior.  Dutch  Boers,  who  had  begun  to  come 
across  the  mountains  from  Cape  Colony  in  1834, 
settled  in  large  numbers  in  1838,  and  after  long  con¬ 
flicts  defeated  and  deposed  Dingaan  in  1840,  making 
Panda,  a  brother  of  Chaka  and  Dingaan,  king  of 


5 


the  Zulus.  After  three  years  of  struggle  between 
the  Boers  and  the  English,  Natal  was  proclaimed  a 
British  colony  in  1843.  It  has  since  been  under  the 
charge  of  an  English  lieutenant-governor.  The 
Zulus  who  would  not  submit  to  this  rule  retreated  to 
Zululand,  north  of  Tugela  River,  where  Cetywayo 
reigned  until  his  defeat  and  capture  by  the  British, 
in  1879. 

The  Zulus:  their  Homes  and  Habits. — 
The  kraal ,  or  village,  is  made  up  of  a  series  of  huts 
like  huge  beehives,  placed  in  circles,  the  cattle-pen 
being  in  the  centre.  The  huts  are  about  ten  feet  in 
diameter  and  five  feet  high.  The  single  hole  through 
which  entrance  must  be  made  serves  for  door,  win¬ 
dow,  and  chimney.  Neither  tables  nor  chairs  nor 
beds  are  to  be  seen,  only  a  few  mats  and  pots  and 
blankets.  The  men  and  women  sit  and  sleep  on  the 
ground.  The  usual  clothing  of  the  wild  natives 
consists  of  a  slight  covering  made  of  skins  worn 
about  the  loins.  They  sometimes  ornament  them¬ 
selves  with  beads  and  skins  and  necklaces  of  lion’s 
teeth  or  claws.  The  women  wear  an  apron  or  a 
skin  tied  about  the  waist. 

All  menial  work,  such  as  digging,  carrying  burdens, 
and  cutting  wood,  is  done  by  the  women.  The 
men  hunt  and  fight  and  take  care  of  their  cattle. 
The  wealth  of  the  Zulu  consists  of  his  cattle  and 
his  wives..  .He  exchanges  from  ten  to  twenty  cows 


6 


for  a  wife,  and  sells  his  own  daughters  for  cattle. 
His  wives,  of  whom  he  has  as  many  as  he  can 
afford,  are  simply  slaves. 

Religion  of  Zulus.  —  Their  superstitions  hardly 
deserve  the  name  of  a  religion.  Their  ideas  are 
extremely  low  and  debased.  Their  chief  faith  is  in 
witchcraft,  in  goblins  to  be  feared  and  appeased, 
and  in  ancestral  spirits  to  be  worshiped.  They  use 
charms  and  exorcisms  ;  the  witch-doctor,  who  is  sup¬ 
posed  to  discern  evil  spirits,  has  terrible  power. 
The  rain-doctor,  who  claims  to  bring  showers,  is 
also  a  noted  character  among  the  Zulus. 

The  Mission  of  the  American  Board  —  the 
first  among  the  Zulus  —  was  begun  in  1S35.  The 
people  were  savage,  without  sign  of  civilization; 
their  language  unwritten  and  unknown.  Two  ex¬ 
peditions  were  organized,  each  consisting  of  three 
missionaries  and  their  wives.  Messrs.  Lindley, 
Venable,  and  Dr.  Wilson  went  in  wagons  to 
Mosilikatzi’s  people  in  the  interior,  1,000  miles 
from  Cape  Town  and  some  400  miles  westward  of 
Natal.  Messrs.  Grout,  Champion,  and  Dr.  Adams 
established  what  was  then  called  the  maritime,  mis¬ 
sion  in  Natal.  The  wars  of  Mosilikatzi  were  so 
fierce,  and  the  disturbances  so  many,  that  the  first- 
named  party  broke  up  their  station  at  Mosika,  and 
after  a  journey  of  1,300  miles  in  ox-wagons,  going 
around  the  Drackenberg  Mountains,  joined  their 


7 


brethren  at  Natal  in  1837.  Dingaan,  the  chief  of 
the  Zulus,  received  the  missionaries,  and  schools 
were  opened  and  a  printing-press  set  up.  The 
conflict  between  Dingaan  and  the  Dutch  Boers 
interfered  so  seriously  with  Christian  efforts  that 
several  missionaries  withdrew  from  the  country. 
After  Dingaan’s  overthrow,  Panda,  his  successor, 
favored  for  a  time  missionary  efforts,  but  subse¬ 
quently,  becoming  suspicious,  he  slew  many  who 
seemed  inclined  to  lead  a  Christian  life.  This  was 
in  1842,  and  up  to  that  time  two  congregations  had 
been  gathered,  one  of  250,  the  other  of  500,  with 
two  schools,  each  having  50  pupils.  The  disasters 
had  been  so  many,  and  the  unsettled  state  of  the 
country  offered  apparently  so  little  encouragement, 
that  instructions  were  forwarded  to  close  up  the  mis¬ 
sion.  But  before  the  letters  reached  Natal  brighter 
prospects  were  witnessed.  Natal  had  become  a 
British  colony.  The  missionaries  wished  to  re¬ 
main,  and  the  plan  was  changed.  Instead  of  dis¬ 
continuing  the  mission,  it  was  reenforced.  By  1849 
nine  new  missionaries,  with  their  wives,  had  sailed 
for  Natal.  A  year  later  six  churches  had  been 
formed,  with  78  members,  and  eight  schools  had  185 
pupils.  The  missionaries  at  that  date  dwelt  much 
upon  the  moral  degradation  of  the  people.  In  1859 
there  were  7  churches,  with  a  membership  of  186. 
In  1869,  11  churches,  with  448  members,  the  Sab¬ 
bath  congregations  amounting  to  1,456.  At  the 


8 


dose  of  the  last  decade  (1879-80)  there  were  15 
churches,  with  610  members;  64  native  teachers 
and  helpers,  besides  2  native  pastors.  The  present 
missionary  force  from  America  consists  of  10  or¬ 
dained  missionaries  and  16  females.  A  theological 
school  at  Adams  has  at  present  17  students,  and  a 
training  school  at  the  same  place  has  46.  Two 
boarding  schools  for  girls,  one  at  Lindley  and  the 
other  at  Umzumbi,  have  an  aggregate  attendance  of 
88  pupils.  There  are  in  all  the  schools  of  the 
Board  1,700  pupils  under  instruction,  from  which 
number  it  is  believed  will  come  Christian  preachers 
and  teachers  not  only  for  Natal,  but  for  the  regions 
northward  and  toward  the  interior  where  the  Zulu 
language  is  understood.  The  9  stations  now  occu¬ 
pied,  with  the  most  of  the  11  out-stations,  are  with¬ 
in  25  miles  of  the  coast.  In  1879  a  plan  was 
formed  for  the  enlargement  of  the  mission  in  the 
direction  of  Umzila’s  country,  about  500  miles  north 
of  Natal,  where  the  Zulu  language  is  spoken.  Mr. 
Pinkerton  had  started  for  that  region,  but,  detained 
by  unpropitious  circumstances,  fell  a  victim  to  fever 
in  November,  1880.  After  Mr.  Pinkerton’s  death, 
Mr.  Richards  visited  Umzila  at  his  kraal,  but  the 
way  did  not  open  for  the  establishment  of  a  mission 
there.  In  1883  a  beginning  was  made  by  Mr.  Wil¬ 
cox  at  Inhambane  some  550  miles  north  of  Durban, 
and  a  new  mission,  the  East  Central  African  Mis¬ 
sion,  was  established  in  this  region. 


9 


The  Jubilee  of  the  Zulu  Mission  was  celebrated  at 
the  close  of  1885,  and  a  new  memorial  building  for 
the  use  of  the  Amanzimtote  Seminary  was  dedicated. 
The  first  fifty  years  of  the  mission  closed  amid  the 
rejoicings  of  both  missionaries  and  natives  over  a 
gracious  outpouring  of  the  Spirit,  with  tokens  of  a 
great  advance  in  all  directions. 

General  Results.  —  Natal  may  properly  be 
called  civilized,  though  there  are  sections  where  the 
old  heathenism,  with  its  accompanying  degradation, 
may  still  be  seen.  But  wherever  the  gospel  has  been 
preached  the  manner  of  life  among  the  people  has 
greatly  changed.  Houses  have  taken  the  place  of 
kraals.  Polygamy  is  frowned  upon.  The  people 
wear  decent  clothing.  The  Zulus  have  found  a 
Yankee  plow  to  be  “worth  more  than  six  wives.” 
Education  of  the  natives  throughout  Natal  has  been 
entirely  under  the  direction  of  missionaries  chiefly 
of  the  American  Board  and  of  the  English  Wesleyan 
Society,  though  government  grants  amounting  to 
nearly  $10,000  a  year  have  been  received  in  aid  of 
the  work.  The  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into 
Zulu  was  completed  in  1883.  Many  of  the  converts’ 
are  models  of  Christian  character.  (See  notice  of 
Rev.  James  Dub6,  Missionary  Herald,  June,  1879, 
page  240;  also  Missionary  Herald,  December,  1867, 
page  395.  For  a  graphic  account  of  the  contrast 
between  the  heathen  and  the  Christian  Zulus,  see 
Missionary  Herald,  April,  1865,  page  118.) 


IO 


Other  Missions  in  Natal.  —  The  English  Wes¬ 
leyan  Mission,  begun  in  1841,  combines  work  for 
Europeans  and  natives  ;  only  three  or  four  of  its 
missionaries  give  exclusive  attention  to  the  native 
population.  The  Free  Church  of  Scotland  occu¬ 
pies  three  stations.  Before  the  late  Zulu  war  the 
Norwegian  Mission  had  7  stations  in  Zululand,  with 
one  in  Natal.  The  Berlin  Mission,  begun  in  1847, 
at  latest  reports  had  5  stations  in  this  province  con¬ 
nected  with  its  flourishing  mission  in  the  Transvaal. 

The  Hermannsburg  Society  has  had  a  mission 
among  the  Zulus  which  has  been  largely  industrial 
in  its  character.  The  missions  of  the  Church  of 
England  in  Natal  are  conducted  by  the  Society  for 
the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  with  a  bishop  resi¬ 
dent  at  Pietermaritzburg.  The  oldest  of  its  stations 
was  occupied  in  1856.  The  Roman  Catholics  have 
of  late  established  themselves  at  Durban  and  are 
attempting  some  work  among  the  heathen. 

Authorities.  —  Grout’s  Zululand  ;  Carlyle’s 
South  African  Mission  Fields ;  Among  the  Zulus 
and  Amatongas,  by  Leslie ;  Natal,  by  Henry 
Brooks  ;  Africa,  by  Keith  Johnston  ;  Bartlett’s  His¬ 
torical  Sketch  of  the  Missions  of  the  American 
Board  in  Africa ;  Umsila's  Kingdom,  a  Field  for 
Christian  Missions ;  also  a  valuable  Sketch  of  the 
Zulu  Mission,  by  Rev.  William  Ireland,  now  out  of 
print. 


For  latest  and  most  i?iteresting  information  from 
the  Zulu  and  other  Missions  be  sure  and  read  regu¬ 
larly  The  Missionary  Herald  and  Life  and 
Light,  published  monthly ,  the  former  at  $1.00,  the 
latter  at  60  cents,  per  year,  postpaid.  The  Mis¬ 
sion  Quarterly  for  Young  People,  designed 
for  Sabbath-schools  and  Mission  Circles,  is  offered 
at  the  low  price  of  $4.00  per  annum  for  fifty 
copies  to  one  address,  postpaid.  Address  Charles 
Hutchins,  No.  1  Somerset  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 

Do7iations  for  treasury  of  the  American  Board 
should  be  sent  to  Langdon  S.  Ward,  i  Somerset 
Street,  Boston,  Mass. 

This  leaflet,  with  others,  can  be  obtained ,  on  ap¬ 
plication  to  C.  N.  Chapin,  Room  14,  Congregational 
House,  1  Somerset  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 


Missionary  Rooms,  Boston, 
June,  1886. 


107  long.  Jt'es-t  from  I I  'ctsthut /jtnrt. 


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'ZULU  MISSION, 


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